Almost every new operator stalls here. The mechanics are simple and nobody is grading you.
On a repeater
- Listen first for at least a minute so you do not interrupt a conversation.
- To announce that you are available: "KX4XYZ, listening." That is all.
- To join an ongoing conversation, wait for a gap and say your call sign once: "KX4XYZ."
- To respond when called: "KX4XYZ here, good evening, my name is Sam in Chattanooga."
Someone will invite you in.
Do not say "CQ" on a repeater; CQ is for simplex and HF.
On simplex or HF
Calling CQ: "CQ CQ CQ, this is KX4XYZ, kilo x-ray four x-ray yankee, calling CQ and standing by."
Answering someone else's CQ: give only your call sign, phonetically, once or twice.
What a first exchange contains
Signal report, name, location. On HF that is often the whole contact: "You are 5 by 9, name is Sam, Chattanooga Tennessee." See signal reports for what 5-9 means.
Rules you actually have to follow
- Identify with your call sign at least every ten minutes and at the end of a contact.
- Use plain English; there is no required script.
- Leave a gap between transmissions so others can break in.
If it goes wrong
Nothing happens. Say your call sign, take a breath, and try again. Every operator on the band was new once, and most of them remember it clearly.